Zababa (also Zamama) was the Hittite way of writing the name of a war god, using Akkadian writing conventions. Most likely, this spelling represents the native Anatolian Hattian god [Wurunkatte Wurunkatte]. He is identified with the Akkadian god Ninurta. His Hurrian name was Astabis. In southern Mesopotamia, Zababa was the tutelary god of the city of Kish, whose sanctuary was the E-meteursag. Several ancient Mesopotamian kings were named in honor of Zababa, including Ur-Zababa of Kish (early patron of Sargon of Akkad) and Zababa-shumma-iddini (a 12th century BCE Kassite king of Babylon).